Broken Remains
by Gundom2501
Summary: A lone Librarian must quest for an artefact, but finds more than he bargained for. This is my first entry into fanfic, reviews and comments greatly appreciated!


Dominic Irizarry English 100 Burnett 12/04/01  
  
BROKEN REMAINS  
  
Levi exhaled slowly as the resounding march of nearly a hundred ceramite- encased boots strode forward towards the bay doors. As a Librarian to the Blood Skulls' dreaded First Company, known for its brutality in the rigors of war, it was Brother Levi's duty to help ward off sorcerous attacks launched by all things unholy. This last battle had taken its toll on him. Lenele had been a prosperous world - until the taint of Chaos wormed it's way into the people. When the First Company had been assigned this mission, most had laughed at the situation. To the Adeptus Astartes of the Blood Skulls chapter, heretics were nothing. Especially to the veterans of First Company. Their tactics were legendary, as some put it, or reckless, as others would say. Rebel uprisings were annoying flies compared to other enemies they had fought against, namely tyranids and eldar. The insect-like warriors and weapons of Hive Fleet Behemoth had decimated the Imperium of Man, and it had taken a massive mobilization of Imperial forces to send it back to the darkness from whence it came. Some of the Adeptus Ministorum believed that the tyranids were an age-old species that wandered the universe; preying on whatever world they happened upon. The eldar were also an ancient race, with elf-like features, and a deadly knowledge of warp technology. It was said that the eldar had forgone living upon the surface of worlds long before the Emperor Himself was born, crafting their enormous world-ships and setting out to the stars. Levi's thoughts drifted back to the moment at hand as he sat down on a large slab of rock. The rebels' forces had been much larger than expected, but such was of no importance. The Inquisition had provided the First Company with the information on this campaign, only later acknowledging that it knew the rebels were in league with Chaos Marines. This is what angered many of the Marines. Going into a mission with no previous knowledge of what enemy forces await you is one thing, being denied direct knowledge which had lead to the death of a full two squads was another. "Brother-Librarian, how do you fare?" Captain Arick stood towering over the Librarian, his sergeant-aide at his side. "Well enough, Brother Captain. Well enough." Levi's voice sigh the last few words, a visible sign of his weariness. "You do not sound well, Levi. Perhaps you should be attended to by an Apothecarion." "I am fine, Arick. It is just that this last battle was a bit much. I had no idea that we would run into that squad of traitors, much less for them to have with them sorcerers of such vile strength. Just the thought of it chills me." "No one expected any of that, Levi. Do not berate yourself for it. The Thousand Sons, may the Emperor curse them to the warp, appeared from who knows where. Only your ability to sense such evil was a key factor in winning today's battle. Without you, they would have cut into us like a rusty knife, not the mere pinprick that we-" "We lost two squads, Brother. I do not see how that could be called a 'pinprick'." Levi stood, the servomotors in his power armor straining slightly at his bulk. "We did not loose more, thought the Fourth and Fifth squads were some of our best men. They will be sorely missed. The Inquisition will have much to answer for today." Arick's voice was sincere, driving home the anger at the "accidental" negligence of Inquisitor Nalak, who had provided them with the background on Lenele and it's seedy underground. It was no question that Inquisitors disliked anyone meddling in their affairs, much less Space Marines. The feeling was mutual, to say the least, thought Levi. The battle played over in Levi's head. The First Company had made planet fall successfully, and proceeded to exterminate any resistance. The cultists had attacked the whole company in wave after wave, refusing to turn back, so twisted by their dark lords they cut through each other to try and stop the Marines. That attack had lasted little more than a few minutes. As the Fourth and Fifth squads ventured into the city on scouting patrol, Levi had sensed something was wrong, seeing in his mind a dark cloud covering the city and his battle-brethren. His alarm went up too late, for the staccato of bolters filled the air, along with the scream of rockets. The streets filled with dust as a stray rocket collided with a building. All contact with the Fourth and Fifth had been broken, their comm signals lost. Anxiously the rest of the First Company waited, only to be answered by the sound of heavy footsteps. From the impenetrable cloud walked ten Chaos Terminators, from the fallen chapter of the Thousand Sons. Their bulky armor gleamed with an almost organic look, and from shoulder pads spikes arose, skulls were formed into belts, and wires and cables replaced hair on the two Terminators whose heads bore no helm. "Terminators!" The cry resounded along the lines of the First Company, and all opened fire before the Terminators could lift a weapon. The fury of the battle intensified as the First squad, wearing the armor that the Chaos forces made a mockery of, moved to the front, their autocannons spraying death as Brother Lew's Cyclone launcher rained death among the rebels that were beginning to work their way around the Chaos Marines. The ground in front of the Blood Skulls was lit up as Levi sensed a great psychic force gathering. "Hold your fire, Brothers!" Levi held up his hands in the gesture for "cease-fire". Gathering his thoughts, Levi waited and watched as a warp gate opened and a Chaos Marine stepped from the swirling blue inferno, followed by four bloodletter daemons, all of the daemons brandishing their black, serrated swords. His armor was incrusted with what Levi thought were jewels, but which he quickly realized as they blinked in a random pattern, were eyes. Summoning all the strength he could, Levi focused his mind and unleashed a powerful burst of his own psychic energy underneath the sorcerer and his dark entourage. A look of surprise swept across the eyes of the daemons and of the Tzeentch wizard's armor as the ground and air around them erupted into a white-hot fire. The artificial eyes of Levi's helmet darkened to protect his real eyes from the fury he had released. He knew he had finished the sorcerer and the daemon spawn, and dropped his hands. The Blood skulls opened fire once again, the thunder of bolters and heavy bolters filling the air, the blue and red blaze of lascannons and plasma pistols cutting through the pale blue sky. That had been the end. The two Whirlwind tanks that had accompanied the Marines unleashed a deadly salvo of Chaoshammer missiles, turning the surrounding cityscape into a rubble heap. There was not much resistance after that, since the Terminators had been vaporized along with much of the cultist force. The enormity of the blast that Levi had unleashed left him unsteady. The troops had quickly entered the city, thereafter pulling back to the drop ship, where they now awaited the litany from Lychias, Company Chaplain. It was their ritual to offer up praise to the Emperor and their primarch, Roboute Guilliman, founder of the famed Ultramarines, from which the Blood Skulls had been formed. Soon after, the ship lifted off, and they were bound for home again.  
  
***  
  
"I don't think you comprehend the severity of my situation. I lost two whole squads!" "Brother Captain Arick, I believe your men died for the Emperor, nothing more, nothing less. It was because of the loss of their comm signals that you were able to -" Arick leapt up, towering over the small frame of Inquisitor Nalak. Arick was not wearing his helmet, and as a result of that the Inquisitor could see the fury blazing in his eyes. Nalak took a step back. "Yes, comm silence led us to believe it was afoot, but you knew there were Chaos forces here and neglected to tell us! That is what has me, and most of the marines around here, so bloody angry!" Arick's fist slammed against the durasteel table, leaving a large imprint of his knuckles. Levi waited outside, knowing that he should make is entrance with a cautious manner. Since there was silence, Levi figured it was safe to let his presence be known to his commander, and as he walked through the doorway into Nalak's office Levi half expected there to be a massive amount of blood on the floor or one of the walls. That fact that there wasn't made his heart sink just for a moment. "Ah, Brother Librarian Levi..." Nalak's voice trembled still form the show of the Blood Skull captain's strength. Levi had been one of the five Marines to take a shuttle to Nalak's cruiser, and just the two in Nalak's office now made some of the ancient crawlspaces between decks seem like grand halls. Levi let loose his anger at the thin official. "You arrogance has cost us dearly, Inquisitor. We were not able to recover the gene-seed from our fallen brethren. Such losses we Blood Angels do not take lightly." Levi turned slightly, enough to see the small smirk on Arick's face. Nalak swallowed hard, pulling at his collar as if the action could save him. "I am truly sorry for your loss. I did not think such information would prove so pivotal." "Well it did turn out to be 'pivotal'!" Arick's voice rose with sheer fury. "The Officio Inquisitorum will hear from Chapter Master Saerus himself!" With that the massive Marines strode from the confined office, and headed back to their ship, the Righteous Blade.  
  
***  
  
"Levi, I must speak with you." "Yes, Captain Arick. How may I attend you?' Levi rose from his chair, which was dwarfed by his massive body, as Arick walked into Levi's chambers. Since Levi's armor had been damaged during the fighting, he had received a new suit, newly crafted. Inside he grumbled that was not as good as the old one he had worn, that the Tech Marines had lost much knowledge through the decades. But, this was better than not having armor. Arick stood in front of Levi and looked him deep in the eyes. "I have received word that an artefact of great power, once belonging to the Imperium but lost after many years, has been located. And Lord Saerus would like you to retrieve it." "Why me?" "It would seem your skills and bravery on Lenele have brought you into the eyes of Saerus. Eldar forces heavily infest the world of Marantz. Saerus, along with myself and a few of the other captains, believe that since you appear to be the strongest psyker among all of our Librarians, you would be able to infiltrate the planet and retrieve this artefact with great ease. But beware: our assays of the planet show that it may also hold the taint of Chaos. If so, try to avoid direct contact with anyone, and after you retrieve the relic then we will forward to the Administratum of the Imperial Navy and request the Exterminatus." "All this trouble to wipe out a planet..." Levi sighed heavily. "Only should the planet be crawling with Chaos scum. If it is just the eldar heretics, we will later explore possible actions against them. By Guilliman, if the planet were not such an asset, we'd leave it alone, but..." "It is of great strategic significance. We should not leave it to the heretics. I will prepare to depart immediately." "May the Emperor's spirit go with you, as well as our blessings." Levi smiled as Arick walked out. Sometimes he wished that he would have tested negative for being a psyker; it was turning out to be an occupational hazard. But it is my occupation, in service to the Emperor, Levi thought to himself as he took off his armor and performed the Imperial Litany and the Litany Against Corrosion, and prayed to the machine-spirits that allowed his armor to function and serve him while he applied lubricants and special unguents to his armor. He thought of something he had heard a Space Wolf say a few decades ago, Take care of your armor, and your armor will take care of you. That was why he was a bit mad to have the Tech Priests take away his old armor. After meeting Sven from the Space Wolves chapter of the Legion Astartes, he never let the Tech Priests attend to his armor. Levi had learned what things made his armor special and separate from the others. Piece by piece Levi locked his armor into place, and finished a few moments before one of the servitors of the Hall arrived to let him know his shuttle was ready. Levi knew the drill for covert operations such as this: He would travel through the Warp to Marantz, where he would make planet fall in a one man pod that looked like a meteor, and even diminished in size to make it appear even more realistic. After that, he would have to rely on his instincts and a century's worth of experience to get him through. Levi was about to walk out the door, then looked back at the chest that contained his belongings. He walked over, opened it, digging through the deep chest for a moment, before finding what he was looking for. From the chest Levi pulled out a yellowed piece of parchment, with a simple prayer to the Emperor of Man written in the stylized characters of Imperial Gothic. Fotens Terribilitas, adjuva me in extremis! Mighty Terribilitas, aid me in my plight!  
  
***  
  
The runes in the pod counted down the seconds before Levi would be fired down onto Marantz, to start his search in the heat of Marantz's night. Marantz had once been an Imperial world, but contact had been lost during the Dark Age of Technology. Initial assays of the planets surface showed that the inhabitants of Marantz had gone back to a primitive social pattern, living off the land with very little or no technology that could be picked up by the Astropaths upon the ship Fury of Caeledonia. All Levi could do was wait.  
  
***  
  
The jungle was lit up like day as Levi's pod crashed down into it's depths. He knew from the pod's scanners that he had landed a few miles away from a large pyramid. his guess was as good as any, and so he would start his search there. The pod rocked as it touched the ground. Luckily Levi was strapped into a grav-couch which made sure he was always oriented with the gravity of Marantz, so the only discomfort he had was the pod's jumping up and down, which lasted only about fifteen seconds. Levi slammed his gauntleted hand against the release amulet on the harness system, then dropped to what now served as the floor. He twisted and moved to gather his gear, then reached up to the grav-couch and hit the hatch release rune. There was a hiss, and a sliver of darkness appeared in the ceiling. Just my luck to have to climb out of this thing. Levi clambered up and out of the pod, breathing in the moist air around him. He lifted his left arm, checking his auspex for signs of life, and finding none near, set off to search for the pyramid were he planned to start his quest. As he moved his way through the undergrowth, Levi wondered how Arick had been informed of the resting place of this so-called "artefact". He hoped it wasn't from the Inquisition. The Space Marines and the Inquisition did not get along, and had a long history of getting in each other's ways, with the Inquisition usually at fault. That was plain fact, too, not just the feelings of the Space Marines. On more than one occasion the Inquisition had accused Marine chapters of heresy, dating back thousands of years, most notably after the thirty-third millennium. Any dirt the Inquisitors could find they brought to light, though most officials knew of the silent feud between the two forces of the Ecclesiarchy and paid no heed. Levi stopped and scanned the area. I swore I could have heard something. Wrapped up as he was in his own thoughts, the Watchful Sleeper, also called the Catalepsean Node, allowed half of Levi's brain to be alert, even while asleep. He lifted his arm and checked his auspex. If there was one thing he liked about the new armor, it would be the built in auspex. No more having to carry around the clunky hand-held version meant he could carry his bolt pistol and his force staff at the same time, which would give him and advantage in combat. Two red dots appeared on the light green screen. Levi held still for a moment, then slowly crouched, the servomotors of his armor whispering their malcontent at having to perform such slow and laborious work. He strained his superhuman senses, to try and determine whether this threat was real as the ground beneath his feet, or as harmless as a pikor, the small rodents native to his home world. Levi held his breath, and concentrated, using his mind to search his surroundings, focusing on two life forms ahead of him. He quickly sent out small psychic probes trying to determine what was in store for him. As the tendrils on his mind touched those of the others, Levi's eyes shot open. Eldar. Levi moved forward, knowing that the two eldar troops were aware of his presence. As if in accord with his thoughts, one of the eldar raised its head to survey what had infiltrated its mind. Without missing a step, Levi raised his bolt pistol, drew a bead on the alien's head, and squeezed the trigger. The slender shape of the eldar's helmet ruptured as the round entered, then exited. For a split moment, Levi laughed inside himself as he reckoned the sight to that of a melon being smashed with a sledgehammer. As the body of the once-living entity dropped, it's companion leapt from the foliage, twin swords raised in readiness. They never had a chance to be used. Levi extended his right arm, pointing his force staff at the airborne eldar and channeled his energy into it. There was a hiss like that of an airlock depressurizing as the eldar impaled itself on the staff, it's blades coming down on either side of Levi's arm. The body continued to move forward, stopped only by Levi's armored fist. Levi forced the staff from the body, looking in disgust at the vile ichor that now painted his weapon. Looking around, awaiting another attack, Levi glanced up in time to see a blazing light coming through the atmosphere. His enhanced mind worked quickly, calculating a trajectory and guessed that whatever it was would land a few miles from where he now stood. Wouldn't hurt to wipe out a few more of the aliens, Levi thought as he wiped moisture from his brow. The air was really humid, and he worried about the effects it might have on his armor. I might even be able to get some information from them on the whereabouts of the relic. The ground shook and the night sky lit up as the object hit the ground. Levi had already started hiking that way, and glanced down at his auspex every few minutes to make sure nothing was following him, or would surprise him as he walked by. He stopped near the edge of the new clearing, peering at this new arrival. It was a drop pod, it's camouflage stripped away, revealing a scorched painting of the Blood Skull icon, a chainsword driven through the top of an alien skull. Curious, Levi worked his way amid the trunks of fallen trees to the pod, and pressed the outer hatch release rune. The familiar hiss greeted his ears, and he stepped inside. To Levi's dismay, there was nothing in the pod, save a few grenades, a few krak and some plasma, along with a data tablet. Levi looked at the tablet, thumbing the icon to start it's recording. A string of data presented itself for Levi's perusal, and as he read it, most of his earlier questions were answered. The information had been from a Chaos prisoner, a Khorne berserker of the Thousand Sons, who had been captured and interrogated on Lenele. The artefact was cup shaped, ornate, as the picture showed. Probably pulled from his head by one of the other Librarians. The Warp weakens your mind, making it easier to do. You'd sort of suspect more out of a traitor who's so old. Apparently the prisoner had been around for at least a millennium, and in his travels had come across a chalice he believed was one of the five Cups of Ultramar. With such an item, it would make it easier to create new Blood Skulls. The current acceptance rate is horrifically low, and with this, we'd have better chances of replacing our lost brothers. Levi scooped up the grenades, clipping them to his broad, leather belt. He searched the pod, looking for anything else that might seem useful. All he found was a bolt pistol clip.  
  
*** Levi was getting worried. Already having dispatched the two eldar, he had nearly been seen by a group of about fifteen as they moved silently through the thick jungle. He waited for a few minutes after they passed, then as quietly as he could, crept from where he hid, beneath a large, dense bush.. Looking at the dirt and scratches that now adorning his armor, Levi sighed heavily and headed for the pyramid once more. He knew it was near, and could sense some sort of psychic presence as well. Probably a Farseer, or maybe some Tzeentchian wizard. Either way, I shouldn't have any troubles. Levi came to the edge of the jungle, and realized there was not just one pyramid, but also many other, smaller versions of it. As he looked around, taking in everything at once and memorizing it, He spotted and eldar dragonlord atop his beast. Levi froze, taking in the massive size of the lizard, then holstered his pistol, knowing it would do little to the beast. The dragon was about thirty strides long, it's black scales out of place among the green of the clearing and the yellow of the pyramids. Levi waited for the dragon to turn away, then sprinted to the nearest structure, a small hut of sorts. Once inside, he realized his mistake. The hut belonged to a couple of eldar. Everyone in the hut froze for a minute, while looks of shock crept along the faces of all present. Seizing the moment, Levi reached out with his left hand, grabbing the nearest eldar with his free hand, and snapped his neck like a twig while bashing another with his force staff. The third and forth eldar tried to reach for their pistols, only to their heads crushed by the Librarian's augmented strength. The fight had lasted ten seconds at the most, and although Levi had not given them a chance to scream or raise a cry for help, he peered out the doorway, expecting an army to be waiting for him. All that met his ears was the sounds of the jungle. The dragon and its rider were nowhere to be seen, and so Levi assumed the worst and ran for the nearest pyramid. Reaching the pyramid, he quickly scaled it, heading for the top and the alcove it held. Levi reached it just In time. As he slipped into the pyramid, he saw the dragon's head appear from around the base of the pyramid. Carefully undoing the clasp on his holster, Levi drew his pistol, and placed a bead on the back of the rider's head as he came into view. Levi wasn't sure of the accuracy of the pistol at this range, so he prayed his shell would find it's mark, and pulled the trigger. A sound like thunder rang out across the clearing as the dragonlord's chest ruptured from the bolt pistols explosive shell. The dragon, rider-less and confused, let it's instincts take over. It searched for the enemy that had killed its master. It spotted Levi just as he leapt down the pyramid, taking it's steps three and for at a time, finally dodging under the gaping maw of the dragon. Levi quickly twisted his force staff and rammed it upwards into the dragon's head. The animal tried to scream, but with its mouth pinned as it was, all that emanated from its throat was a high pitched muffle. The dragon fell over on its side, wrenching the staff from Levi's hands. He walked over, looking around constantly to make sure that no reinforcements were on there way, and twisted his staff over and over, all the while it making a sucking noise before being released with an audible pop. Not worrying this time about the gunk on his staff, Levi moved towards the largest pyramid, where he guessed the psychic waves were coming from. He was sure that the relic, or someone guarding it, was at the top, for as he climbed the steps of the pyramid, the presence grew stronger, and more defined. By now he was certain it was an eldar, and as Levi reached the top to peer over the last few steps, his suspicions were confirmed. An eldar sorcerer, dressed in rich, red robes, rune stones hanging from around his neck, stood in front of an altar, hands raised, chanting. As the chanting progressed, Levi could feel the power radiating from the eldar increase. And on the alter, in front of the sorcerer, was the chalice Levi had seen ion the data tablet. I have to stop him! He'll destroy the relic! Levi jumped up, clearing the last few steps in a single bound, and leveled his pistol. The eldar became aware of Levi, and turned, hands outstretched towards Levi. "No! You must not interfere!" The alien said in deeply accented Imperial Gothic. "Die, heretic!" screamed Levi as he fired his bolt pistol at the mage's head. In the same instant that Levi fired, the eldar unleashed a psychic blast that nearly hit Levi, but blinded him for a minute. He heard the headless body of the eldar fall to the ground in a heap. Levi waited for his sight to return, but it only came back enough to where he could make out definite shapes. He stumbled around for a minute, before finding the alter. Slumping against the alter and taking the data tablet from his belt, the Librarian activated the rune that would let his brethren know he had completed his quest. Levi sighed, and then twisted his torso around so he could reach the chalice. Even with his impaired sight, Levi was able to marvel at the chalice. He could barely make out intricate lines that swirled to surround gems of every color, and was nearly blinded again by the jewels encrusting the cup. He chuckled to himself, and strode from the temple, not noticing the large, broken remains of the sigil of Khorne, the Blood God of Chaos, on the alter, and on the sigil carved into the underside of the chalice. 


End file.
